Bishnoi-name threat letters to eight Nagpur jewellers: Khamla post box is key lead, case registered

Nagpur Police have picked up a significant lead in the case of threatening letters sent to eight bullion traders of Itwari in the name of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The letters, which together demand Rs 80 lakh, were apparently dropped into a post box in the Khamla area.

Each of the eight traders was asked for Rs 10 lakh. The letters began reaching the market about five days before the first reports appeared, and the senders did not give their identity. Two traders got theirs first, and the rest followed gradually. The traders were told to keep the money ready.

Police say the envelopes were posted on October 20, 21 and 22. From the Khamla box they travelled to the Trimurtinagar post office and were then delivered to the traders in Itwari. Officers are now going through CCTV footage from around the box and other available information to find out who posted them. Investigators also suspect that a larger network may be behind the letters.

A case has been registered against unknown persons at Tehsil police station. The complainant is Nehal Tinkhede, a resident of Nandanvan who owns Durga Jewellers on New Itwari Road. He says a woman walked into his shop on October 31, between about 3 pm and 3.30 pm. She asked him for Rs 10 to buy postage stamps and handed him an envelope. After she left, he opened it and found a threatening letter and seven more envelopes. These carried the names and addresses of other jewellery traders in the Gandhibagh area. Police are trying to establish who the woman is and what part she played in delivering the letters.

The writer of the letter claimed ties with shooters from Mumbai linked to the Bishnoi gang. He gave three days to pay. Reports from the market say some traders were given three days and others five. The letter said the throats of the traders and their family members would be slit if the money was not paid, and that going to the police would bring serious consequences. Other accounts say the traders were threatened with being shot or killed, and that some were warned of an attack like the recent firing at actor Tiger Shroff.

The letters also lay down a signal. Once a trader has arranged the money, he is to put up a "Jai Shri Ram" poster at his shop door or gate. Another version says it is to be written outside the shop. According to the letters, this tells the sender that the trader is ready to pay, and someone will then contact him. How and where the money is to be handed over was to be communicated later.

The timing has made matters worse. With Diwali near, footfall and business in the gold and silver trade begin to rise, and some traders were reportedly afraid even to go to their shops. Fears about the gang have also grown across the country after the Tiger Shroff incident.

On Monday, office-bearers and members of the Nagpur Sarafa Association held a meeting in the Itwari area with Deputy Commissioner of Police Rahul Madne and Sanjay Mendhe, inspector at Tehsil police station. Traders voiced worry about their safety and asked for more police in the market. DCP Madne, who attended in person, said there would be no lapse in security. Police have been deployed, and the whole bullion area will be watched closely through the festival. He said those responsible would be traced and arrested at the earliest. Traders and the public have been asked to tell the association or the police at once if they know anything about the case.

Minister of State for Home Pankaj Bhoyar also phoned the association and sought details. The government had taken note of the letters, he said, and he assured it that the police would carry the probe forward and take suitable action.

Before the case was registered, traders had approached senior police officers through the association. Rajesh Rokde, who heads the bullion association and is national president of the All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC), spoke to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Police Commissioner Vishwas Nangre Patil. The association asked for full protection for traders and quick steps to prevent such incidents. Rokde asked traders to contact the association if they get any such letter and said nobody needs to panic. Police have likewise asked traders to stay alert and to report any threatening letter, call or message immediately. Questions have also been raised about law and order in the Chief Minister's own city.

An earlier letter also came up at the meeting. About a month and a half ago, Bhujade of Mahalaxmi Jewellers, under Pratap Nagar police station, received a similar one. One account says it arrived in a sweet box, and that its handwriting resembles that of the Itwari letters. Traders said that had an FIR been registered and action taken then, the eight jewellers might have been spared.

For now the Khamla post box remains the most important thread. Police are also trying to establish whether the senders are really connected to the Bishnoi gang or are merely using its name to frighten traders and extort money. That link, if any, will be known only after the investigation.